Châteauneuf-la-Forêt. Students and science at school. CM1 and CM2 students from the Violette-Szabo school in Châteauneuf-la-Forêt participated in a LUSCI (Fun and Scientific) workshop, led by scientists from Limoges research laboratories, at the Bartholdi room in Châteauneuf-la -Forest.
This workshop, which aimed to combine education and discovery with a playful side, allowed the children to work on a natural resource widely present in New Aquitaine and relatively little studied by the scientific community: lichens.
After an introduction to present the organization of research within the Omega-Health Institute, the scientists made a presentation of lichens: their place in the tree of life, the places where they develop, their growth, their role and their uses by humans or animals.
The workshop was divided into 2 parts: the first showed the students the diversity of forms of lichens. After observing and rehydrating the lichens, students were able to place a label in front of each example. The second part aimed to show how chemical researchers can study and draw inspiration from molecules produced by living organisms to develop new therapeutic agents.
Then, the researchers presented a protocol for extracting and revealing the molecules produced by lichens. With this experience, the students were made aware of the conditions for handling chemicals in the laboratory.
A presentation that raised awareness among young audiences of biodiversity and more particularly the natural resources that surround us. And perhaps some will have discovered a passion for science whatever the field.
